Fear Me
by WithTheWind
Summary: Mary thought that her heart had retired after the death of husband, after the years of pain it took to finally escape his ghost. She was wrong... her heart hadn't retired. This will be telling Mary's backstory as well as elaborating on her relationship with Edward. Prepare for the Kiddway. Assassins Creed story line but twisted a bit for effect.
1. Fear Me

_"Fear me"_

 _His voice hovered specifically over the word "fear" as if he needed to put any kind of emphasis on it. He knew good and well that any member of this cowardly crew would piss his pants with just one glare directed toward them with those cold, cold eyes. Well, every member except her. Not that she intended to make a scene of it, she was in enough trouble that day as it was. It was early this morning when she had gotten into another fight aboard The Dauntless. The sun had not even began to rise yet but there she was, standing clear in the center of the main deck with another man's blood splattered over her uniform. A right fool she had been, already losing two of her strikes and she had not even spent a month as a true Navy soldier. She knew luck wouldn't be in her favor after her commanding officer saw what she'd done, to be perfectly honest she hadn't intended on injuring Adam that morning, but it had been unavoidable. That wretched man had been on her last nerve for weeks now, ever since he first learned her last name._

 _"Read. Front and center!"_

 _The sound of her superior's voice quickly pulled Mary out of her painful flashback. She knew she was going to get it now, Adam was awake and for that matter, able to snitch on her. With a painful grimace she took her place in front of Commander Peterson. He had been a thorn in her side since the day of her arrival, he thought her a troublemaker and she knew it. It wouldn't have bothered her so much if it was anyone else's opinion. Anyone else but him._

 _"Seems you got yourself into a bit of trouble this morning, eh?"_

 _His voice was serious, but his eyes were almost amused. What? He didn't even think she could have taken that measly Adam? Well Mary knew that wasn't true, she'd proven that to herself and everyone else on the ship now. No turning back from that fact._

 _"Aye, Sir."_

 _She spat out that last word with a pinch of sarcasm attached to it. "Sir" was the last thing she wanted to call this lout who stood before her._

 _"Well, that'll be your second strike. You know that right? One more and i'll toss your good for nothing arse out into the ocean and don't think I won't."_

 _His piercing blue eyes burned her. Sometimes she could swear he saw right through her disguise. It was becoming more and more often that she was forced to stop and remind herself that it was all an act. He couldn't really have figured out she was a girl… could he? She decided to be bold and test him, wanting to get a good rise out of that arrogant bastard. If she was in trouble, she was determined to make it worth her while._

 _"Is that so? But_ _ **Sir**_ _, If i'm dead… Who will be the one to train your crew?"_

 _That wasn't entirely true, he in fact was a good teacher. However, she had been taught to fight prior to becoming a proper soldier, first by watching men brawl outside the tavern near her home and secondly, by a kindly, retired general when she served as a cabin boy in prior years. This of course, gave her an advantage over most of other new soldiers who hadn't a clue how to handle a sword before Peterson had taught them. Aye, he was much more skilled and experienced than she, but for the sheer lack of fighting talent among the rest of the crew, Captain Burdett had recruited her to help in training the younger soldiers._

 _"Don't fuck this up, Read" he had warned her. He knew as well as anyone that the Commander took no liking towards her. The reason for that wasn't exactly clear, she reckoned it was because many of the crew members had begun coming to her for fighting tips, a few even asking for extra help in practice. Mary took pride in this respect, but she could see that Peterson did not. It wasn't particularly because he felt threatened by the young girl, no he knew that if needed he could kick her arse with little effort. Yet, it stung that the crew seemed to favor her. And as for her little comment, that was the last straw. She could see that he had a lesson in mind for her._

 _"Think this is funny, do you? Find it amusing that you nearly killed Adam this morning out of sheer stupidity?! Well, Mr. Read It's clear you have something to prove here and now."_

 _With that, he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to his side. She felt the helm of a sword slip into her palm as he forced the weapon on her. He was going to fight her, here with everyone watching, the thought nearly made Mary sick. She was a strong warrior, Aye. A strong warrior with an even stronger fighting spirit, but to fight this man with years of defined training and experience? Not to mention the fact that he nearly doubled her in size. She was not tall by any means, at least not for a man. And she was scrawny, even for a 14 year old girl. Peterson had a tall, muscular build with large biceps that showed even through his uniform. True, he may have been only a few years older than she, 18 maybe… but to think that she could beat this man was ridiculous. It was then when Peterson began calling out the names of crew members._

 _"Vince, Whitman, Stafford, Williams!"_

 _These weren't just any crew members either, they were the ones she had been training. The next few names he called out were of a different nature._

 _"Patrick, Boland, Mundy, O'hare!"_

 _These were the men he had been giving one on one training to. Mary groaned inaudibly. He wasn't fighting her to assert dominance or make an example. No, he was doing something much worse, he was having his men face off against hers. She wasn't the one with something to prove, he was._

 _"If you lads are so loyal to Read here, how about a bit of healthy competition?"_

 _He turned to his own men this time._

 _"And you men, I expect you to show off the maneuvers I've been teaching you."_

 _This time Mary was the one to cut him off._

 _"This is a sick way of gaining respect."_

 _Peterson scoffed, unaffected by her comment._

 _"This ain't about respect, Read. I'm simply suggesting a test of sorts. If your men win, you're off the hook for Adam. Also, I'll allow to you continue training the men by my side."_

 _"And if your men are the victors?"_

 _The commander gave a sly smirk before responding,_

 _"If my men best yours, which no doubt will be the case… You give up your position as whatever kind of teacher you believe yourself to be and you'll receive ten lashes of the whip for fighting Adam."_

 _Mary bit her lower lip, she didn't like the sound of this deal. The problem wasn't the flogging, that she could manage. What she couldn't manage was being shirtless for the whip (which was as expected) and having her secret discovered. It was risky, but what choice did she have honestly? If she refused, everyone would think her a coward._

 _"Oh- and one more thing."_

 _Peterson's voice was full of bad intention. He was digging her grave deeper and deeper._

 _"You and I fight among them."_

 _Mary stared down at the sword he had pressed into her hand. It was a broadsword, not a weapon she was extremely familiar with. She was fairly sure she could still put up a good fight with it, but then again… what choice did she have? So, reluctantly she extended her hand to the smug commander, sealing her fate._

 _"Let the battle begin"_

That was when she woke up. She woke up from the same dream she'd been having for weeks now. How the past seemed to love torturing her! As if she wasn't in enough pain already… She hadn't seen her mates in months and with everyday that passed, the chances of her ever going back to Nassau grew slimmer and slimmer. Not that being an assassin wasn't a great distraction. In fact, if she hadn't already agreed to help found their pirate republic, she doubted that the urge to go back to that part of the West Indies would ever return. It held good memories true, but also many bad ones. Of course, she knew she would have returned there at some point if only because one of her targets fled there, but as far as seeing those she might dare call friends? Well, she wasn't sure that she would have made time to visit them if it weren't for her promise. Mary sighed, she couldn't undo the past, but the past certainly did undo her.


	2. Mary's Promise

Mary stepped off the docks and into the warm Caribbean air, taking in the sights and sounds of the island. It had true potential, she thought. With a few new houses and a British proof security system, it might be a good place for her to come and reside while she was in between contracts. For now she was headed to The Old Avery, a tavern she and her mates had often met, she knew that's where they would be. As she entered into the establishment, she noticed that a brawl had begun among two men. They were quite a few years older than her, in their late 20s if she had to guess. Mary herself had just recently turned 19, but she felt older than most men. From across the room, someone called out her name.

"Kidd! Glad you could make it!"

It was Thatch, one of her closest mates. She had even served on his ship, Queen Anne's Revenge for a time. Mary liked to consider him the father she never had in a way. Not that old Edward Thatch was truly fit to be anyone's father, but he was a good man. She respected that.

"Didn't think i'd skip out on our agreed meeting did you, Thatch?"

Mary made her way over to the table where he sat with two other men. The first one, she knew was Benjamin Hornigold, a pirate she had often done business with in the past so she knew him well enough. However, the other one she'd never seen before. He was blonde with chin length hair pulled back into a small knot and some light scruff across his face. Maybe about three years older than she.

"Ah James, no one around here has had the uh _pleasure_ of seeing you for quite some time. We were starting to think someone had at last ended the short life of the Demon Kidd."

Mary scoffed, she didn't appreciate Thatch's constant mocking.

"You know well enough that nobody takes Kidd down that easily" Laughed Hornigold, speaking in her defense. She gave them both a half smile, momentarily forgetting about the stranger who was also seated with them. That was, until he spoke up.

"Kidd..Like William Kidd?" he asked, studying her features. She doubted he would find any resemblance to the famous pirate, seeing as how he wasn't truly her father.

"Aye, like William Kidd."

The stranger scoffed and rolled his eyes, clearly not buying her ruse. Mary decided right away that she didn't like him.

"Don't believe me? Well if you know so much about Captain Kidd then you must recognize this."

Mary reached down and unsheathed her sword, holding it out for the stranger to see. Her weapon was unique, (for one it was a broadsword) but what truly made it stand out was the fact that the words "Quedagh Merchant" were engraved just below the helm. These weren't just any words, it was the name of William Kidd's famous ship. Legend had it that there were only three men alive who still possessed one of Kidd's original weapons. Now, Mary didn't know who those other two men were, but she did know that they were probably fakes as well. It had been no easy task acquiring a replica as convincing as hers was, but in the end it had paid off. Most pirates took one look at her sword and any doubts about her legacy were wiped clean from their gullible little minds. That helped her reputation so much that although she was still in her teens, she'd quickly become one of the most feared pirates around. However, she could tell from the lingering disbelief in this man's eyes that there was probably nothing more she could do to convince him.

"William Kidd had no children, mate. Anyone can make a replica, that don't mean anything in my book."

Mary rolled her eyes, becoming increasingly annoyed with this pointless argument.

"Believe what you'd like, I was a bastard."

That part wasn't a lie, she really was a bastard. However, she didn't have the privilege of knowing who her father was. At least James Kidd knew, even if Mary Read didn't.

Thatch soon spoke up, "I'd watch it Kenway, legacy or not this lad's a demon."

So his name was Kenway, at least now she would be able to give his grave stone a proper marking after she murdered his sorry arse. Then, he laughed. _laughed._

"I could take this boy on anytime, anywhere. He's a child for God's sake, Thatch!"

Mary's anger started to boil up inside of her, steaming to the point where she could no longer hold her tongue. She had found throughout the last couple of years that having a generally calm and collected disposition had it's drawbacks. Sure, she no longer got herself into as much trouble as she did in her younger years, but she found that after restraining her anger for so long, her temper became even worse. She jumped to her feet, grabbing this Kenway man by the collar of his shirt and pulling him up.

"You think you can fight me! How about right now then? I'll even let you take the first shot."

The blonde smirked and rolled his eyes, further displaying his arrogance.

"Alright _Kidd,_ let's see those elusive skills everyone's been babbling on about." He replied.

Thatch then cleared his throat, a signal for them to both retreat, but she was much too stubborn for that. Not now, not when she was so close to beating the shite out of this fool of a man.

"Come now, he's not going to do any damage." Kenway chuckled, lightheartedly.

Mary muttered, she'd be the judge of that.

With a quick shrug of the shoulders from Thatch and a knowing snicker from Hornigold, they headed outside the tavern, eager to show each other up.

As promised, Kenway took the first shot. It was meant to be a low blow to the stomach before Kidd blocked him and countered with a good punch to his face. He stumbled backwards, obviously angry by her unexpected display of talent and fought dirty by tripping up her footing. Mary fell, but made use of this by swiping her leg right under his feet, knocking Kenway to the ground. She smirked and took this opportunity to pounce on him, stealing away the dagger he had strapped to his waist and jumping to her feet before he could roll her off. This time, mary was the one to fight dirty. She faked another shot to his face, but instead kneed him in the side. He didn't stumble this time and got a good hit in himself, leaving a future bruise right below her eye. Kidd knew that this fight had to end soon, she didn't want it to be a test of endurance. A few shots later and she had poor Kenway on his back with a blade to his throat. She laughed and gave him one final kick in the side, to make sure he kept down.

"I win."

 **Authors Note:**

 **Yay! So Mary got to do some serious ass kicking (as always) XD And i'm thinking of doing another scene where Kenway threatens her with a pistol, but i'm not sure if that will make it into one of the chapters. If ya'll have any other suggestions let me know:) I live to serve.**


	3. Scars

A few hours later and Mary was still at the tavern. Kenway wasn't of course, his sorry pride was shattered after she'd beat him in a brawl. He'd left no less than 10 minutes after the fight, muttering something about how he'd seen a whorehouse about a mile from The Old Avery. Pathetic. Simply pathetic. It wasn't that he was a bad fighter. In fact he'd gotten a few good hits in, much to her surprise. But he was churlish and arrogant, seeming to be naturally over confident, which really came as a disadvantage on his part. If he payed a bit more attention to the moves and tactics of his opponents, maybe he would have won that fight. Then again, probably not. Mary smirked in spite of herself. She always received pleasure from proving the people who underestimated her wrong, it was one of the most rewarding feats in life, at least in her opinion. It was then when she felt someone nudge her shoulder.

"Ey, uh mate. It's a p-pleasure to see ya 'gain." Damn Hornigold. His words slurred together drunkenly as he stumbled away from her, alcohol stealing any possible grace from his stride. Mary groaned, men. Why was it they always had to make idiots of themselves? Then she began to cringe, she had known a man who wasn't like that once upon a time, but no matter. The past was behind her, or at least she wanted it to be. With a weary sigh, Mary took a glance outside of the window, the sun had set quite some time go. It was probably for the best that she leave now before more brawls started to break out between all these drunkards. She didn't want to have to step in. Besides, her business with the other founders of the pirate republic had been settled, and the discussion had been quite an interesting affair.

About 2 hours ago…

" _Where the hell did you get that son of a bitch?" Mary inquired, motioning to Kenway with a jerk of her chin._

 _Thatch laughed good heartedly._

" _Picked him off a privateering ship believe it or not, and some loyal to the crown he was! The lad was jumping at the chance to join my crew the very moment I took over his good for nothing vessel. Even had him brawl with another man to decide who would join."_

 _Mary frowned, why all the trouble just to recruit another pirate?  
_ " _But, why Kenway? He's a right fool! I've only known him for an hour or so and already he's managed to annoy the shite out of me._

" _You're an easy one to annoy, Kidd."_

 _Mary couldn't argue with that fact.  
_ " _Well, are you sure you know him well enough to include him in the founding of Nassau? He seems shifty, like his morals are all muddled."_

 _Thatch shrugged, she could tell he saw something in Kenway, something he took a liking to, although she couldn't imagine what. He was a sloppy, though aggressive fighter and a general know it all. And know it alls didn't last in the West Indies._

" _He'll make a good founder, James. You may not have seen it today, but he has a true warrior spirit. I saw it in him the same way I saw it in you. Both you men have got a strong will and a bad temper "_

 _She scoffed at the thought of being compared to that lout. It didn't matter how strong his will was, that didn't keep you alive in the West Indies. In fact, she'd come to find that a stubborn mind got you into more trouble than it was usually worth. For example, It was only yesterday when she'd fought another assassin who argued with her over the whereabouts of a target. Mary groaned, life was so full of conflict._

Now she stood at the bar, downing her second mug of rum and desperately attempting to call to mind an excuse she could use to get back to Tulum. Not that seeing her mates hadn't been somewhat of a relief to her, but now that she knew they were all still alive and daft as always, it was time to get back to business. Not to mention the fact that she would like to avoid the likes of that Kenway character, at least until he had a chance to cool down a bit.

"I'll be heading out now, my ship's in the docks and the crew is wanting to make good time back to...Andreas." She lied, Thatch's eyes looming over her face with curiosity.

"What's in Andreas? Got you a pretty little lass you're visitin, James?" He said with a mocking grin.

Mary scoffed, great. Just great. Now not only would she have to formulate an excuse to be visiting that god forsaken island, but she'd also have to convince Thatch she wasn't visiting a lover.

"Ya right man, i've got more important things on my mind than women."

"Oi! But what could be more important than that?"

She rolled her eyes, suddenly remembering a sight that had caught her eye during her last visit.

"How about a raid on a plantation? One that would bring in a pretty profit to any man able to penetrate it?"  
Thatch raised his eyebrows, of course now that she had mentioned a bit of coin she had his attention.

"Aye, is that so? And who runs this plantation?"

"A man named Beckford. He's got some real wealth on him too."

She began thinking, it was a good excuse she had created. Maybe too good. However, that plantation would make some damn fine profit… Perhaps she would make this lie a reality.

"I'm planning to rob him myself in a few weeks time. Care to join me?"

Thatch scratched at his beard, contemplating the offer. Mary could tell by the look in his eye that the temptation was great.

"I'll have to pass, Kidd. Though it does sound like a gold mine, I've got my sights set on some unfinished business at the moment… It'll be quite the challenge to rob that kind of land all by your lonesome. Why not ask some of Kenway's crew to join you?"

"He has a ship?"

The old man nodded, taking another swig of rum.  
"Aye. A newly acquired one. He ain't that bad Kidd, once you get past that thick skull of his."

"Ha! From what i've seen there ain't anything inside that skull!"

Blackbeard chuckled his rough laugh, "Aye, so it would seem."

The next morning she readied her ship for the sail to Andreas Island, heading by The Old Avery first for a quick drink, she would need it for the voyage ahead. It was there when she spotted Kenway once again. He seemed to be holding a map of some kind whilst carrying on a conversation with Thatch and Hornigold by the looks of it. She moved in closer, they hadn't seen her but now she could clearly hear their voices.

"This is Adewale. He's the Jackdaw's quartermaster." Kenway spoke, gesturing to the African man by his side.

Thatch began laughing in hysteria.

"Why Edward Kenway, You named your vessel after a poxy bird!"

He rolled his eyes, taking the comment lightly whilst his gaze darted around the room. Eventually his sight landed on her, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly before clearing his throat and turning to his new quartermaster.

"Ah, Ade. Allow me introduce you to the better part of our growing confederacy. Edward Thatch, Benjamin Hornigold…" He gestured to her, "James Kidd."

Adewale gave her a respectful nod. At least one of them had some decency.

"Now you'll need to sail somewhere rich with plunder." Hornigold advised, handing him a bottle of rum.

"Have you heard of a place called the observatory?"

 _Shite._ How'd he find out about that?

"Aye." She remarked without thinking. Edward's head turned sharply in disbelief.

"It's an old legend. Like El Dorado or the fountain of youth." she assured him.

"...What have you heard?"

How was she supposed to answer that? _Oh trust me Kenway, I know all about the observatory because i'm an assassin and we are after it._

"It's meant to be a temple or a tomb, hiding a treasure of some kind." she replied finally, giving the only honest answer she could muster. Kenway's eyes lit up like a small child who'd just been given a puppy.

"That's it! See here."

He reached out, pressing a supposed diagram of the observatory into her hand. She studied it with interest, looking over every last detail.

"Rot! So it's fairy stories you prefer to gold, is it?" Thatch commented, clearly disturbed by Kenway's sudden whims.

"It's worth more than gold, Thatch." he defended, "Ten thousand times what we could pull off any Spanish ship."

Hornigold scoffed, joining in the conversation.

"Robbing the king to feed his paupers is how we earn our keep here, lad. That ain't a fortune, it's a fantasy."

Edward shook his head, dismissing the comment. Had to give it to the man, he wasn't easily discouraged. I handed the diagram back to him as I turned to leave, slapping his back as a sign of acknowledgment. He gave me a confused stare, apparently not expecting the sudden expression of comradery. I suppose I wouldn't have expected that either from a man who was pinning me to the ground only yesterday. Oh well, no matter. I had other business to attend to. For one, I needed to make way to Andreas before a storm had the chance to set in. I've always had a thing about sailing in bad weather, it didn't set well with me. Most of the captains I knew didn't give a damn about the wellbeing of their crew, it killed me how inconsiderate some of these louts could be. No wonder so many had been marooned or overthrown by mutiny. As she walked aboard her ship and into her cabin to tighten her bindings (They had loosened up this morning) something in her mirror caught her attention, it was her scar. The most noticeable one that ran all the way from above her brow line down to the middle of her cheek. Mary frowned as she began to reminisce about how she ended up with that mark…

" _Luke!"_

 _Mary's lungs burned from yelling his name for the seemingly hundredth time. She turned her head sharply, stealing a rapid glance at her crew member who lied on the deck a mere 5 feet away from her, blood pooling around him from a wound inflicted by one of Peterson's men. Nobody was helping him. She however, could not be drawn away from the fight. At least not now when her men were so close to defeating their opposers! The battle was down to the last four men. O'hare and Stafford as well as she and Peterson. She knew that whatever the outcome was going to be, it would be a close battle. As she and Peterson fought, Mary began noticing his tactics, they were repetitive. Skilled, indeed, but repetitive nonetheless. She could also see it in his eyes that he was studying her moves as well, both trying to outsmart the other. Mary began wondering if he was attempting to tire her out, making it a test of endurance. But suddenly, a cry pulled her out of her internal ponderings. The cry had been released from the lips of O'hare, her man had just bested him. Mary smirked in Peterson's direction, now it was down to the two of them and the time had come to focus. He attempted to trip up her footing, but she caught his move and swiftly twisted her body out of reach. His sword came down fast, ready to strike. But she parried with a low blow to his stomach, once again he caught her move in the nick of time. This battle was going nowhere fast, not unless one of them made a mistake soon. And indeed, a mistake was approaching, but it wasn't on Peterson's part. He elevated his sword up high, but Mary was ready and able to bring up her own weapon just in time...At least that's what she thought. Just as their swords collided, his blade slide right over top hers, cutting the young lass straight across the face. Mary fell to the deck in pain, blood dripping from right above her brow line, all the way down to her cheek. Her mind immediately began racing with panic. She had lost the fight, she might never see properly again AND now she would be flogged. They'd find out she was a woman and she'd be hanged for deceiving the Royal Navy. Her vision started to get black around the edges. She thought she heard someone calling her name, yelling it. Who ever it was sounded concerned, but she couldn't tell. Her hearing was failing her too. Mary felt strong arms lifting her body up, carrying her to a nearby cabin._

" _Doctor, Read needs help. He's been wounded!" the voice called out. Was that? No, it couldn't be. And then everything went black._

Mary shuddered at the memory. It wasn't something she liked to remember, after all that was part of her old life. And she found it convenient to avoid every one of those memories at all costs. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind, she had a ship to captain.

 **Author's Note: I KNOW, I KNOW. Sorry for not posting in so long (even though it has only been four days) But hey, that is long for me! Anyways, I'd really appreciate ya'll doing some reviews for me! I'm also completely open to suggestions of things you may want me to add to the story. KIDDWAY ALWAYS!**


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